James Butler, 1610-1688

Leading nobleman of the 'Old English' aristocracy of Ireland who briefly succeeded in uniting various Irish factions in support of King Charles.

James Butler was born into the "Old English" Anglo-Norman aristocracy that had been feudal overlords in Ireland since the 12th century. His family had been entrusted with the government of Ireland as Lord Deputy to the English monarch since the early 16th century, but their continuing Catholic faith was viewed with disfavour. King James I worked to break up the estates of the Ormonds and reduce their power. After his father died in 1619, the young James Butler was declared a royal ward at the court of King James and placed in the household of the Puritan Archbishop of Canterbury, George Abbot, where he was brought up to be a devout Anglican. In 1629, he married the heiress Elizabeth Preston which brought together the divided Ormond inheritance and placed the couple at the apex of the Irish aristocracy. He inherited the earldom of Ormond on the death of his grandfather in February 1633.

Ormond worked closely with Sir Thomas Wentworth (later Earl of Strafford), King Charles I's Lord-Deputy in Ireland. When the Bishops' Wars broke out in 1639, the King, with Wentworth's encouragement, hoped to raise Irish troops to suppress the uprising and Ormond was commissioned Lieutenant-General of Horse in the Irish army. He was appointed Commander-in-Chief in Ireland when Wentworth was summoned back to London in 1640. Despite Wentworth's recommendation that Ormond be appointed Lord-Deputy in his place, Charles entrusted the government of Ireland to the unpopular Lords Justices Parsons and Borlase.

With the outbreak of the Irish Uprising in 1641, Ormond fled to Dublin while his estates in Kilkenny and Tipperary were seized and plundered by the insurgents. Ormond led the King's forces against the Confederates, defeating his kinsman Lord Mountgarret at the battle of Kilrush in April 1642 and raising the siege of Drogheda. In recognition of his loyalty, King Charles made him Marquis of Ormond in August 1642. The King then ordered Ormond to begin negotiations with the Confederates, hoping that peace in Ireland would allow Irish troops to be brought over to England to fight against Parliament. Although reluctant to make peace with the Catholic Confederates, Ormond loyally opened negotiations in June 1643 and concluded a one-year Cessation of hostilities in September. As intended, the Cessation allowed some troops from Ormond's army to go to England, but ultimately it proved ineffective and even counter-productive.

In January 1644, the King appointed Ormond Lord-Lieutenant in Ireland, entrusting him with the task of negotiating a permanent peace. The situation became extremely complex. As well as divisions amongst the Irish Catholic and Protestant camps, a Papal Nuncio, Archbishop Rinuccini, and Parliamentary commissioners from England were involved in the negotiations. In addition, King Charles sent the Earl of Glamorgan to negotiate secretly with the Confederates behind Ormond's back. The First Ormond Peace of July 1646 proved ineffective. Archbishop Rinuccini condemned it and excommunicated its supporters. With a Confederate army marching on Dublin, Ormond surrendered the city to English Parliamentarian troops in June 1647, preferring that it remain in Protestant hands rather than being taken by Irish Catholics.

Ormond left Ireland for England with his wife and children in July 1647. He was received at Hampton Court, where King Charles was held prisoner by Parliament, and acted as Charles' agent in the secret negotiations that resulted in the ill-fated Engagement with the Scots. After spending a few months at the court-in-exile of Queen Henrietta Maria in Paris, Ormond returned to Ireland in September 1648 with a supply of weapons paid for by the French. He was welcomed by Lord Inchiquin, the Protestant chieftain of the O'Briens, who had been fighting on the side of Parliament but who had recently declared for the King. The Confederate Supreme Council was now anxious to negotiate a new treaty with Ormond and the Royalists in order to counter the threat from the English Parliamentarians and the hardline Catholics led by Archbishop Rinuccini and Owen Roe O'Neill. Ormond succeeded in concluding the Second Ormond Peace with the Confederates in January 1649, which promised toleration for Catholics in exchange for troops to fight for the King.

Following the execution of King Charles I and the proclamation of Charles II, Ireland became a rallying-ground for the Royalists. The new King renewed Ormond's appointment as Lord-Lieutenant in February 1649 and made him a Knight of the Garter. Ormond's army marched into the country north of Dublin and captured the towns of Drogheda and Dundalk in June 1649. Ormond then marched on Dublin itself, which was defended by Colonel Michael Jones. Ormond suffered a crushing defeat on 2 August 1649 when Jones attacked his encampment at Rathmines, capturing his artillery and baggage train and shattering the Royalist army. Jones' victory at Rathmines enabled Cromwell's army to land unopposed near Dublin on 15 August and begin his ruthless Irish campaign.

Unable to stem Cromwell's advance, Ormond fell back beyond the River Shannon in County Clare. Although his reputation and credibility had been damaged by the defeat at Rathmines, Ormond persevered with his attempts to forge an alliance with the Irish Catholics. Then, on 1 May 1650, Charles II signed the Treaty of Breda in order to secure an alliance with the Scottish Covenanters. Under the terms of this treaty, Charles pledged to abolish Catholicism in his realms and repudiated the Second Ormond Peace. This completely discredited Ormond with the Irish Catholics and he was obliged to leave Ireland in December 1650.

After leaving Ireland, Ormond joined Charles II during his long exile and became one of the King's most trusted advisors. He allied himself with Sir Edward Hyde and Sir Edward Nicholas in trying to steer the King away from wild schemes to regain the throne and in preventing him from making damaging alliances with Catholics, Presbyterians or foreign powers. Ormond was showered with honours at the Restoration, being created Duke of Ormond, a Privy Councillor and Lord Steward of the Household. He went on to lead a distinguished career as a statesman during the reigns of Charles II and James II. He returned to Ireland as Lord-Lieutenant in 1662, though political enmity with the Duke of Buckingham led to his dismissal in 1669. He was re-appointed in 1677 and retained the office until 1685, three years before his death at the age of 78.



	James Butler, 1610-1688 Leading nobleman of the 'Old English' aristocracy of Ireland who briefly succeeded in uniting various Irish factions in support of King Charles. James Butler was born into the "Old English" Anglo-Norman aristocracy that had been feudal overlords in Ireland since the 12th century. His family had been entrusted with the government of Ireland as Lord Deputy to the English monarch since the early 16th century, but their continuing Catholic faith was viewed with disfavour. King James I worked to break up the estates of the Ormonds and reduce their power. After his father died in 1619, the young James Butler was declared a royal ward at the court of King James and placed in the household of the Puritan Archbishop of Canterbury, George Abbot, where he was brought up to be a devout Anglican. In 1629, he married the heiress Elizabeth Preston which brought together the divided Ormond inheritance and placed the couple at the apex of the Irish aristocracy. He inherited the earldom of Ormond on the death of his grandfather in February 1633. Ormond worked closely with Sir Thomas Wentworth (later Earl of Strafford), King Charles I's Lord-Deputy in Ireland. When the Bishops' Wars broke out in 1639, the King, with Wentworth's encouragement, hoped to raise Irish troops to suppress the uprising and Ormond was commissioned Lieutenant-General of Horse in the Irish army. He was appointed Commander-in-Chief in Ireland when Wentworth was summoned back to London in 1640. Despite Wentworth's recommendation that Ormond be appointed Lord-Deputy in his place, Charles entrusted the government of Ireland to the unpopular Lords Justices Parsons and Borlase. With the outbreak of the Irish Uprising in 1641, Ormond fled to Dublin while his estates in Kilkenny and Tipperary were seized and plundered by the insurgents. Ormond led the King's forces against the Confederates, defeating his kinsman Lord Mountgarret at the battle of Kilrush in April 1642 and raising the siege of Drogheda. In recognition of his loyalty, King Charles made him Marquis of Ormond in August 1642. The King then ordered Ormond to begin negotiations with the Confederates, hoping that peace in Ireland would allow Irish troops to be brought over to England to fight against Parliament. Although reluctant to make peace with the Catholic Confederates, Ormond loyally opened negotiations in June 1643 and concluded a one-year Cessation of hostilities in September. As intended, the Cessation allowed some troops from Ormond's army to go to England, but ultimately it proved ineffective and even counter-productive. In January 1644, the King appointed Ormond Lord-Lieutenant in Ireland, entrusting him with the task of negotiating a permanent peace. The situation became extremely complex. As well as divisions amongst the Irish Catholic and Protestant camps, a Papal Nuncio, Archbishop Rinuccini, and Parliamentary commissioners from England were involved in the negotiations. In addition, King Charles sent the Earl of Glamorgan to negotiate secretly with the Confederates behind Ormond's back. The First Ormond Peace of July 1646 proved ineffective. Archbishop Rinuccini condemned it and excommunicated its supporters. With a Confederate army marching on Dublin, Ormond surrendered the city to English Parliamentarian troops in June 1647, preferring that it remain in Protestant hands rather than being taken by Irish Catholics. Ormond left Ireland for England with his wife and children in July 1647. He was received at Hampton Court, where King Charles was held prisoner by Parliament, and acted as Charles' agent in the secret negotiations that resulted in the ill-fated Engagement with the Scots. After spending a few months at the court-in-exile of Queen Henrietta Maria in Paris, Ormond returned to Ireland in September 1648 with a supply of weapons paid for by the French. He was welcomed by Lord Inchiquin, the Protestant chieftain of the O'Briens, who had been fighting on the side of Parliament but who had recently declared for the King. The Confederate Supreme Council was now anxious to negotiate a new treaty with Ormond and the Royalists in order to counter the threat from the English Parliamentarians and the hardline Catholics led by Archbishop Rinuccini and Owen Roe O'Neill. Ormond succeeded in concluding the Second Ormond Peace with the Confederates in January 1649, which promised toleration for Catholics in exchange for troops to fight for the King. Following the execution of King Charles I and the proclamation of Charles II, Ireland became a rallying-ground for the Royalists. The new King renewed Ormond's appointment as Lord-Lieutenant in February 1649 and made him a Knight of the Garter. Ormond's army marched into the country north of Dublin and captured the towns of Drogheda and Dundalk in June 1649. Ormond then marched on Dublin itself, which was defended by Colonel Michael Jones. Ormond suffered a crushing defeat on 2 August 1649 when Jones attacked his encampment at Rathmines, capturing his artillery and baggage train and shattering the Royalist army. Jones' victory at Rathmines enabled Cromwell's army to land unopposed near Dublin on 15 August and begin his ruthless Irish campaign. Unable to stem Cromwell's advance, Ormond fell back beyond the River Shannon in County Clare. Although his reputation and credibility had been damaged by the defeat at Rathmines, Ormond persevered with his attempts to forge an alliance with the Irish Catholics. Then, on 1 May 1650, Charles II signed the Treaty of Breda in order to secure an alliance with the Scottish Covenanters. Under the terms of this treaty, Charles pledged to abolish Catholicism in his realms and repudiated the Second Ormond Peace. This completely discredited Ormond with the Irish Catholics and he was obliged to leave Ireland in December 1650. After leaving Ireland, Ormond joined Charles II during his long exile and became one of the King's most trusted advisors. He allied himself with Sir Edward Hyde and Sir Edward Nicholas in trying to steer the King away from wild schemes to regain the throne and in preventing him from making damaging alliances with Catholics, Presbyterians or foreign powers. Ormond was showered with honours at the Restoration, being created Duke of Ormond, a Privy Councillor and Lord Steward of the Household. He went on to lead a distinguished career as a statesman during the reigns of Charles II and James II. He returned to Ireland as Lord-Lieutenant in 1662, though political enmity with the Duke of Buckingham led to his dismissal in 1669. He was re-appointed in 1677 and retained the office until 1685, three years before his death at the age of 78.